President Barack Obama stated in a
proclamation for World AIDS Day that an “AIDS-free generation is
within our reach.”
“Each year on World AIDS Day, we come
together as a global community to fight a devastating pandemic. We
remember the friends and loved ones we have lost, stand with the
estimated 35 million people living with HIV/AIDS, and renew our
commitment to preventing the spread of this virus at home and abroad.
If we channel our energy and compassion into science-based results,
an AIDS-free generation is within our reach,” Obama wrote.
World AIDS Day has been marked on
December 1 since 1988. The President of the United States has
released an official proclamation on World AIDS Day since 1995.
“This year we celebrate the 10th
anniversary of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief
(PEPFAR), a powerful bipartisan effort to turn the tide on this
epidemic. Through PEPFAR, we are making strong global progress and
are on track to achieve the ambitious HIV treatment and prevention
targets I set on World AIDS Day in 2011.”
“We will win this battle,” Obama
concluded, “but it is not over yet. In memory of the loved ones we
have lost and on behalf of our family members, friends, and fellow
citizens of the world battling HIV/AIDS, we resolve to carry on the
fight and end stigma and discrimination toward people living with
this disease. At this pivotal moment, let us work together to bring
this pandemic to an end.”